So the Fed shutdown for a bit, now what?
The aftermath seems simple:
- Who came out on top = democrats
- Who came out disorganized, and split = republicans
- There seems to be a substantial amount of debt (more than there already was)
- There's an elephant in the room.
The Chaos
During, and in the aftermath of the Federal crisis, one thing was apparent: the parties were showing their true character. That is, the Democratic party was holding strong together on their own values while the GOP seemed to be split in their ideals; it shows in their voting. While the Democrats were united in Obama's legislation, "of the Republicans, 18 Senate and 144 in the House opposed the legislation, while 27 in the Senate and 87 in the House supported it." (Roberts, Lewis, Pilkington) The Tea Party, needless to say, was split.
The Debt
Wasn't the skyrocketing debt the reason why the Fed made a "debt ceiling"? And guess what, the debt NOR the ceiling is gone. Along with the $24 billion debt built up by the crisis, our precious U.S.A. still has $60 trillion, more or less, to deal with (according to the US National Debt Clock: Real Time). Get this, this whole Federal nonsense, that has "no economic rationale", says Mr. VP JB, COULD REPEAT! Yup, resolution to the problem just another band-aid, raise the debt ceiling...again. The deal will fund the government until January 15th and raise the infamous ceiling until February 7th. There was alot of disorganization the first time around, let's hope something is properly done -- don't change the band-aid, we need some antibiotics and stitches! (I applaud anyone who can follow my lunacy)
That Elephant...
Sooooooooo, Fed functions are back to normal, everything's s'well, right?...Right?....WRONG! Congress is absolutely scarred by this crisis. The impending stress of another Fed crisis is probably not off everyone's mind, allowing for high tensions. The Republican party has some splits to take care of, and the unified Democratic party easily has the power. With the wrong push, this bicameral system could easily be torn apart by a coup d'etat of sorts of one party over the other...but that's simply an extreme. A bigger problem is afoot -- the lack of bipartisanship! The idea behind our sort of political system was that the differences in the ideals of both parties would complement each other's to create a perfect result: legislature that embodies the best of both worlds for the best of the American people!
With this event, the Fed Shutdown (a.k.a the Elephant), clearly some scars and rifts were made in Congress, and a cooperative (or at the very least, a decisive and practical) future of legislature seems very...fantastical.
Side note: I found what the foreigner said at the end of the theguardian's article pretty funny and enlightening, being that the fall of one party happened in his native land's history -- when Mao Zedong took over.
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| My, my, that's a lot of debt -- about $60 trillion worth. A little doodle. Soto, Steven. "I.O.U." . 23 Oct 2013. Pen & graphite on 4.75" x 9" drawing paper. |
Nice cartoon. I like the pun on ceiling/roof.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick clarification issue--I was using the term "Fed" a lot during the last class, and I should have made it clearer that this is generally the nickname for the central bank, the Federal Reserve, not for the federal government. Sorry, my bad.
You are indeed right that bipartisanship is a crucial norm in the US. It's one that is notably absent in parliamentary systems, for the simple reason that usually a single party controls the government at any one time. In our system, the split between the Tea Party and the Republican Party more generally (it was the latter, not the former, that was divided) is interesting, because institutional logic suggests that the natural solution would be to have a new very loose coalition of non-Tea Party Republicans and Democrats. It probably won't happen, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.
Did you draw this cartoon just for the blog? That is so awesome! I am pretty sure the only thing I can draw is a goose. The bipartisanship is an interesting thing and I feel like its nice to have both sides represented, but I would think would be really cool if in 2016 there was a split ticket presidential campaign...I would like to think that it would make both parties work together.
ReplyDeleteActually yea, I did. I thought a doodle would liven things up and thanks, dude.
Deletehmm, I wonder if the constitution allows for a split ticket...?
The Chinese tourist's quip reminded me of Washington's farewell address when he warns against political factions: "There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast, patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party...From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess... A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume."
ReplyDeleteI find this part interesting because he gives this speech in 1796 right after the "Reign of Terror" ended in France after their disastrous experiment with democracy. I also find it interesting because even though this occurred over 200 years ago it seems to describe the current political situation perfectly.
The important point about Washington's address is that parties are best for monarchical, i.e. systems with a prime minister, and that they are harmful to a presidential system. The problem is that parties are now a standard feature of even presidential systems.
ReplyDelete